


Starcrossed

by rypnami



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:40:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26039599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rypnami/pseuds/rypnami
Summary: Nico Shiskin is a demigod. Not that he knows it yet. He's bullied in school, pushed around by everyone, and doesn't have any friends. But he's one of the most powerful demigods since WWII.Upon discovering his identity, he's thrown into a world he thought only existed in fiction. Gods, prophecies, a brewing war... and he may be a key to all of it





	1. Chapter 1

‘God, what a wimp!’

Nico Shiskin was thrown on the ground, his head spinning. As bad as it may sound, he was used to this kind of treatment. Not just at home, but there at school, too.

Standing above him was the meanest, ugliest kid in the sixth year. Randy Mace crossed his arms, scowling at the smaller boy. ‘Scared of thunder… what are you, 5?’

Yes, that was what had started this… A storm had rolled over the school, halfway through the lunch period, and at the first clap of thunder, he’d panicked. It wasn’t his fault that he hated loud noises. And now this. He tried to take a deep breath. Tried to calm his nerves. When he really panicked? Well, that’s better not to talk about.

Mace grabbed him by the front of his eggplant-coloured hoodie, lifting him up until his violent hazel eyes met Nico’s emerald ones. Uh-oh. 

‘When are you going to grow up?’ Mace snarled.

Nico squirmed in his grip, trying to get free. ‘I-I… w-well, if y-you’d just…’

He never got the chance to finish his sentence. He felt himself become weightless for a moment, before slamming back onto the ground almost ten feet away. How had he been thrown that far? Sure Nico was only 13, and a very small 13 at that, and Mace was at least 15, there was no way he could’ve possibly thrown him that far, even if he slid a bit after he hit the floor. He felt a vicious headache coming on.

He sat up and scrambled backwards, trying to get more distance between him and the other boy. Why did it always have to be him?

His first school, there had been this one kid who always hid sharp objects around the play area, trying to trick Nico into stepping on them, or in his second school, the teacher followed him around everywhere, not giving him a moments’ grace.

And at the last school before this one, one of his classmates had tried to shove him down a steep flight of stairs. Five times. It was lucky it never worked, or he might’ve broken his neck.

No matter what, every school he’d ever attended, someone had bullied him or been just… weird. And his parents would have to move him around again. Nico knew it was hard for them, which was why he was trying so hard this time. So hard to put up with this bully, and the teachers who didn’t care enough to try and stop it, and the other students who didn’t like him, and just being treated so badly by everyone around him. He just wanted it to stop.

He curled up into a ball and tried to keep himself under control. He knew what would happen if he didn’t. And it wouldn’t be pretty. The worst that could happen was a couple bruises, right?

‘You’re a waste.’ With a last kick to the ribs, the older boy stalked off, laughing meanly with his group of ugly friends.

Angry. He was so angry. But also sad. And in pain. He could already feel his skin starting to bruise. He stayed curled up on the cold linoleum floor, long after the crowd had dispersed, long after the bell for class had rang. Nico had to force his emotions down before he finally stirred, sitting up and clutching his ribs. No one else was around now. It had been quiet for a while. He scooped up his things and slowly stood, stumbling to the bathroom.

He looked in the mirror and sighed. His slightly upturned nose was trickling blood, and there was a bruise just above his left eye. Nico lifted his shirt and hoodie, checking his abdomen. Sure enough, his ribs were black and blue. It hurt to breathe. He poked around his chest, and while it was sore, it didn’t seem anything was broken. If he had a broken rib, surely he’d be able to tell, right?

After wiping his face with a few damp paper towels, he picked up his backpack. It had torn a bit at the seams, and his books were poking out. Lovely. Just his luck, wasn’t it? And where to go from here? He should go to class… but then again, his teachers would ask questions, and that would get him in more trouble with the bullies… 

Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he pushed the bathroom door open and walked quickly down the halls. His red and white converse tapped against the floor as he walked as fast as he could, hoping no one would notice him. A little further…. The door was right there… and he threw the school’s door open, feeling crisp afternoon air, and the smell of rain after a storm. 

He couldn’t stay there a second longer.

He was going home.


	2. Chapter 2

Nico tried to slip through the crowds of people unnoticed. New York was a nice city, that was for sure, but he hated how many tourists constantly swarmed it. Even the most open places in the city were packed. It certainly didn't help that his apartment was close to some of the most touristy areas.

After dodging what felt like hundreds of people (although it was probably less than twenty, in reality), he saw the familiar building sandwiched between several others that look almost exactly similar. Dark red bricks, a rickety fire escape that looked as though it would collapse at any moment, windows arranged at perfect intervals. The windows were too dirty to see much out of them, however.

He dug around in the pocket of his purple hoodie until he found the silver key that had long since lost its shine. It hung on a faded keyring, with a smaller gold key and an owl Funko keychain. Just as he was about to unlock the door, he froze. It was Friday. His mum’s day off. She would probably be upstairs, sitting by the window reading a book right then. How disappointed would she be if she knew Nico had skipped school? She’d send me right back, anyways, He thought sadly. Nico slowly tucked the key away. But where to go? He absolutely wasn’t going back to school. New York did have a lot to do, but again, the crowds… he could already tell that would just end with sensory overload and a panic attack. 

Yeah, that didn’t sound like much fun at all. There wasn’t much else to do though, was there? He didn’t have any money for food, or transport. Except for a few spare coins and an old metro card in the bottom of his backpack, and of course his homework, he had nothing. Nico shifted on his feet for a few moments, trying to think of any other options. He turned around and promptly ran into something. Or rather, someone.

‘Oh gosh, I’m s-sorry. I didn’t see y-you there.’

The person he’d bumped in to was weed-thin, and tall. She had long, caramel-blonde hair done in a braid over her left shoulder, and had light, ruby red streaks throughout it. The girl flicked her hair over her shoulder. ‘Ah, don’t worry about it kid. No harm done, yeah?’

Nico blushed. ‘S-still… sorry…’

She shook her head. ‘Really, it’s alright…’ Her words were sincere, but her eyes seemed to be unfocused, darting all around. Almost as though she were looking for something…. 

But he knew better than to get involved. He didn’t even know her. Then again, there was something off. He felt almost drawn to her. Like a connection. Perhaps… no. He ought to mind his own business. Right?

It seemed his mind had been made up for him. She was already gone. Almost like she’s disappeared into thin air…. weird. 

Trying to push the strange encounter out of his mind, Nico moved away from the door and strode down the sidewalk. Wanting to get as much distance between him and the apartments as possible. He walked a bit faster, his light red converse tapping against the cracked concrete. A sudden chill ran down his spine, despite the warm sun beating down against him. Someone was watching him. He knew it. His eyes darted around, but he didn’t see anyone looking at him. Still, he felt as though someone was waiting to pounce, waiting for him to let his guard down. Waiting for him to be alone. Fear settled in the pit of his stomach, and he suddenly felt that it was all wrong, that he needed to go home, that the city wasn’t safe. But home wasn’t an option either. Shit shit shit shit shit. He ducked into the nearest shop he could, which was crowded enough that he could hide.

But still, the feeling lingered. Little did he know, his day was going to get even worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to ever update anything I'm busy and not a good writer xd


	3. Chapter 3

Nico pulled his purple hood up, in an attempt to hide himself. He’d slipped into a tourist shop in the middle of Times Square, which was packed like a can of sardines. It was an effort not to run into anyone, or to draw more attention to himself. There was still that weird feeling, that eyes were boring into him. Something was hunting him. Tension hung in the air. It was getting to him. Every noise, every movement from the people around him, made him jump and duck for cover. He didn’t know what was scaring him like this. There was no reason for anyone to want to harm him, right? Nico was just a boring, regular secondary school student, nothing special. Nothing worth anyone’s time. At least, that was what he tried to tell himself. 

Perhaps it was just his anxieties, which instead of lurking in the back of his mind as usual, had forced its way to the front, making him panic over nothing. Yeah, that must be it…. 

Taking a few deep, calming breaths, he left the shop and tried to push the anxieties back.

And just as he was finally relaxing, just as he finally felt himself calming, he heard it.

‘There you are, you misbegotten worm.’ 

He froze, his spine stiffening, his anxiety and fear rushing back. It was his bully from school. Randy Mace. Bloody hell, I can’t ever escape, can I?

‘You little rat, you really thought you could get away, didn’t you? You will never be able to get away from me, Nicolas Shiskin.’

Nico took a few steps back. The street was much less crowded than it had been a few moments ago. Which was odd. In mere seconds it had gone from a typical, busy New York day to just a couple stray people walking along the sidewalks. 

Trying to find his voice, he managed to stammer, ‘Wh-what… what are you t-talking about…?’

The bully sneered, his eyes seeming to glow red. Surely it’s a trick of the light, Nico tried to reason with himself. ‘You have survived too long, little half breed. It is time for you to die.’

He stumbled back several steps. ‘S-seriously, what are y-you talking about? Y-you’re freaking m-me out..’ 

The other boy seemed as though he was growing larger before Nico’s eyes, although surely that was impossible. His red hair lengthened and grew around his face like a mane. A tail sprouted from his back, whipping and making a whistling sound in the air. He dropped to all fours, his hands growing into paws with dagger-sharp claws shooting out of them.

What the hell is going on??? Nico looked around, wondering how no one else noticed. It wasn’t every day a normal-seeming boy turned into a lion. A lion with a human face and scorpion’s tail, and colossal dragon’s wings sprouting from its back.   
The manticore snarled. ‘I have waited a long time for this. To finally taste blood again.. I will-’

Nico never heard the end of that sentence. He bolted, moving as fast as his legs could carry him. He was never the most athletic type, and in close to no time at all his legs were aching and his lungs burned with effort. He knew he wouldn’t get much further. And he could hear leathery wingbeats, getting closer and closer. Within seconds those teeth would sink into his neck, and he would be dead. And seriously, how was literally no one else noticing this?!? Maybe he was going crazy. Maybe there had been drugs in his lunch or something.

He stumbled over his shoelaces, which had become untied, and fell flat on his face. Oof! 

Thud. The creature landed next to him and put an enormous paw on him before he could scramble away. The weight pressed against his chest, making it hard to breathe. Well, I had a….. Decent life. 

Nico closed his eyes and waited, waited for those fangs to rip him apart. But nothing happened. The weight was suddenly thrown from him, and he gasped for air. The manticore slammed into the ground a few metres away, cracking the concrete below it. A hand reached out to him, with fingernails painted black and a silver ring in the shape of a dragon’s wing on the middle finger. Hesitantly, he took it, and was pulled up.

Rubbing the back of his head, Nico looked at who had helped him. It was the girl from earlier, the one with the red hair streaks. In her hands was a long sword that looked like it was made from bronze. ‘Get out of here while you can, kid.’ She said. ‘I can handle this.’

He didn’t need to be told twice. Stumbling to his feet, he tried his best to keep from tripping over his shoelaces again. I wish I’d just gone home. He’d have taken getting yelled at by his mom over this any day.

The manticore roared and leapr after him, smacking the girl away with its tail. It clawed at him, but Nico quickly rolled on his stomach so the claw caught his backpack and tore it open. Books, homework, and pens flow everywhere, scattering along the sidewalk. 

Just before the manticore could finally end it all, it stiffened. The tip of a sharp, bronze sword poked through its chest. The girl had stabbed it in the back, all the way through its chest. Slowly, it dissolved into gold sand and blew away. 

What the…? 

‘C’mon kid. Let’s get out of here.’ She offered her hand to him. He took it, and she pulled him to his feet. She started walking quickly down the street, and her sword slowly melted into a bracelet, which she slipped onto her wrist.

‘W-wait, hold on, hold on! I don’t even know you!’ Nico protested.

‘Ah, yes, how rude of me. I’m Civillia. And you’re Nico. Now come on, we have to get out of here.’

That hardly seemed like a proper introduction, but then again, she had saved him from a monster. Almost mechanically, he picked up his backpack and tried to scoop as much of his stuff back in before rushing after her.


End file.
